Glossary

The Gambling Dictionary

Entering an online casino, a poker room or any other Internet gambling site is like crossing into a new world in many ways. Although no passport needs to be stamped and even currency does not need to be converted, there is a new lingo to learn. Gambling terms, professional vocabulary, insider references and technical terminology are all listed in this section. Find the meaning of a new term you learn, scan for new terms you didn't know exist, or sort via the advanced tag search option for a variety of convenient browsing options.

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A-Game

When a player is at the top of his game with skill, he is said to "have his A-game." Can be used as a noun or adjective.

ABC

Someone who plays by the exact rules laid out in the game, never switches their style, and plays with the most widely accepted strategies and techniques. Alternatively, it can also be a sequence of the lowest numbered cards in a lowball game of poker.

Accept a Double

When a player raises the stakes in Backgammon to twice the current stakes, before the opponent rolls the dice, the opponent may accept a Double, or alternatively Refuse a Double.

Accumulator

A multiple bet in which the punter makes simultaneous selections on two or more games. All the selections made must win for you to win the accumulator. Also, Parlay.

Ace

A rolled die in Backgammon that shows the number 1.

Ace Hand

A poker hand that has no pairs can still win the game, depending on the high card it holds. An Ace Hand, which is a hand with no pairs and an Ace, beats all other hands with no high cards.

Ace in the Hole

In poker, an ace in the hole is a card that the player is not required to show. Otherwise, it is a common saying that alludes to a secret trick or advantage someone may have over another person.

"Everyone thought I was going to lose the hand, but I knew in the back of my head I had an ace in the hole, and I took it all in the end."

Ace-high Straight Flush

A royal flush poker hand, which is the highest straight flush a poker player can achieve. Card order is A,K,Q,J,10.

Ace-Point

The traditional name for the one-point on the Backgammon board, the deepest point in a player's home board, from which the entire board must be crossed to be borne off.

Ace-to-Five Lowball

A move where poker players try to make the weakest hand they can rather than the strongest. Ace is considered the low card, straights and flushes don't count. Best possible hand is 5,4,3,2,A in any suit.

Ace-to-Six Lowball

Similar to the Ace-to-Five lowball, this is a move where poker players try to make the weakest they can rather than the strongest. Ace is low, straights and flushes are high. Best possible hand is 6,4,3,2,A with no flush.

Act

Also known as a "false tell," this is a move designed in hopes of making your opponent think they have an accurate reading of your hand. A move designed to deceive, in your favor.

Action

A valid bet or wager of any kind.

A baseball bet becomes action only once it reaches 4½ innings of play.

Action Play

A strategy employed in Backgammon that tries to provoke as many exchanges of hits as possible.

Active Player

In the game of poker, a player still in the game at a late stage after given the opportunity to fold, is referred to as an active player.

Add On

In tournaments, this is an opportunity to purchase additional chips at a specific time during the game. It is open to all players, unlike a re-buy.

Adjacent Numbers

Following numbers that are next to each other.

8 and 9 are adjacent numbers.

Admission

Bingo sites, like bingo halls, usually require a minimum purchase of cards - possibly between three and six - to be eligible to participate in the game.

Advertising

To discard a card in order to induce an opponent to discard another card of the same rank or in suit and sequence with it. Also known as Baiting, Chumming, Fishing.

Aggressive

A way of playing; consistently betting, raising, and increasing the bet whenever the opportunity strikes. Also, this is a term used to describe a large and potentially risky move.

All Bet – All (Color) Bet

A bet offered by some casinos and poker rooms where the players may place a wager on if the dealers cards will be all the same colors. Example: all diamonds and hearts would be a 'red' bet versus an all spades and clubs be a 'black' bet.

All-In

With all-in betting there are no refunds given for scratched or withdrawn competitors or teams in an event where a bet is placed. Should an event be canceled then the amount bet will be refunded.

All-in Disconnection Protection

Used in online poker rooms, a player is considered all-in if they happen to lose their internet connection to the room. The player is still eligible for the the pot up until the moment the disconnection happened. The player's chips are placed in a side pot and not wagered while they are disconnected.

Anchor

Building and leaving behind in the opponent's end of the Backgammon board a point occupied by two or more of your checkers.

Angle

A play which is sitting on the fence between legal and illegal.

Can be asked in a form of a question: What angle are you playing at?

Angle Shooter

Describing a player who intentionally uses plays and techniques that teeter on the fence within and just outside of the rules on a consistent basis.

Ante

Some card games, such as poker, require an initial bet or token wager before the cards are dealt, called an ante, from the Latin word for "before".

Ante Post

Bets placed in advance predicting the outcome of a future event, risking losing their bet if their selection pulls out or is canceled.

Any Craps

A bet covering the losing dice rolls of 2, 3 and 12 in Craps.

Any Seven

A bet covering the dice roll of 7 in Craps.

Aquarium

A poker room, game, or table where almost or all of the players are inexperienced or new. It is said to contain "a lot of fish."

Artist

A cheater who will hide cards for later hands or achieves an advantage due to arranging their cards by sleight of hand.

Ask

Also known as an offer, it is the price at which a trader will buy a currency or a seller is willing to sell.

Auto-Post

Used online, this is an option to contribute your ante, blinds and any other wager before the cards are dealt, automatically. This saves time, rather than doing it manually each time – it is a pre-selected option.

Automatic Bet

When a given player is at his/her highest advantage, this is the wager placed. A failure to place such a bet can reveal a weak hand to the other players.

Automatic Bluff

Used with a weak hand where the player is expected to be in the advantage. It is an aggressive wager designed to make other players fold. A failure to place the bet will reveal the weak hand.

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